Uzbekistan

Entering the Twentieth Century

By the turn of the twentieth century, the Russian Empire was in complete
control of Central Asia. The territory of Uzbekistan was divided into
three political groupings: the khanates of Bukhoro and Khiva and the
Guberniya (Governorate General) of Turkestan, the last of which was under
direct control of the Ministry of War of Russia (see fig. 3). The final
decade of the twentieth century finds the three regions united under the
independent and sovereign Republic of Uzbekistan. The intervening decades
were a period of revolution, oppression, massive disruptions, and colonial
rule.

After 1900 the khanates continued to enjoy a certain degree of autonomy
in their internal affairs. However, they ultimately were subservient to
the Russian governor general in Tashkent, who ruled the region in the name
of Tsar Nicholas II. The Russian Empire exercised direct control over
large tracts of territory in Central Asia, allowing the khanates to rule a
large portion of their ancient lands for themselves. In this period, large
numbers of Russians, attracted by the climate and the available land,
immigrated into Central Asia. After 1900, increased contact with Russian
civilization began to have an impact on the lives of Central Asians in the
larger population centers where the Russians settled.